The Next Step
by Blades1987
Summary: Rogue has learned how to control her powers, and Gambit decides to take the next step in their relationship. Chapter 3 up! Gambit and his best friend talk about his life altering decision. Please read and review!
1. Memories and Decisions

Disclaimer: Hey, what's up, Marvel

Disclaimer: Hey, what's up, Marvel? How's it going? I just dropped in to say that I don't own all the characters in this story. It would be pretty cool if I did, but I don't. Hey, I'll give you five bucks for Gambit. No? OK, how about two...?

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Author's note (THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!): Man oh man, I am so nervous about this fic. *Takes a couple of deep breaths* I, uh, just wanted to say that this is my first real fanfic, and I really don't think I can write very well (especially romance fanfics, which is what this is, and I'm only fourteen and I don't know jack shirt about romance) and if this story sucks, try to say it in a nice way. Sorry this first part is so short. And, yeah, don't expect a lot more after this, I get writer's block really easily. One more thing: I don't know a lot about the X-Men's past because I just started collecting X-Men comics, so I'm probably going to get some stuff wrong, so sorry in advance. OK, shut up Blades, they don't care...

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Just a coupla thank yous: I just wanna thank my cousin, Natalia, for encouraging me to send in this story and being a loving and caring friend. I love ya, Natalia! And also I want to thank my two most favorite authors, Imag and Disturbed Courtney, for inspiring the romantic side of my writing talent to finally emerge. Imag and Courtney, if you guys are reading this, you guys are the greatest!!!

And now, Blades Imagination, Inc. proudly presents:

The Next Step

Remy Lebeau sat on the roof of the X-Mansion, watching the clouds drift by lazily. He ran his fingers through his long brown hair, thinking about only one thing. 

Rogue.

He had been thinking about her an awful lot lately. He couldn't help it. Ever since Professor Xavier finally taught Rogue how to control her powers, the couple has spent nearly every waking moment together. Gambit had never been so happy in his entire life.

He remembered a few days after she learned how to control her powers, when he first kissed her. It was only on the cheek, but still, wow! What a feeling. Her soft skin, softer than silk, touching his lips.

That night, Remy took Rogue out on the town. They saw a movie, ate at the fanciest restaurant in New York City, and danced the night away. When they got back to the mansion, Rogue wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him into _the_ most passionate kiss he ever experienced. It swept through him, making his heart beat faster and his mind race. The kiss nearly lasted a minute, until Logan stalked by and growled in disgust.

"Kids," he grumbled as he walked away.

Gambit and Rogue smiled before kissing again.

Since that night, Gambit was never quite the same. He could be heard humming happy tunes, he hadn't fought with Wolverine in god knows how long, he was constantly buying fellow X-Men presents for no real reason, and Bobby claimed he once saw Remy skipping gaily down the hall to his room. But, of course, no one really believed him.

Remy was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a car drive up. It was Jean, Rogue, and Ororo back from their shopping spree. He watched as the car entered the mansion's garage.

Gambit ran his fingers through his hair again before he stood up. He had officially decided what he was going to do. He was going to take the next step.

He was going to ask Rogue to marry him.

To be continued...

OK, if you want to review, please do, but if you don't, then don't. But if you do review, tell me if I should continue this story or not, OK? So, yeah, I'll see ya round...


	2. Bad Stuff

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own the X-Men.

Author's note **(Once again, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!)**: Raise the roofs ladies and germs! BLADES IS BACK!! Woo hoo! I'm SO SORRY that I took so long to write more, but personally, I don't really think much of this story. I've kind of lost my interest in this couple because I haven't read a good Rogue/Remy story in a long time and my attention has turned to another couple. It's really hard to write this story since I don't like it very much, so the rest of the fanfic is probably going to be very corny and poorly written. 

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Anyway, that said, a couple of people say that I haven't been getting Gambit's personality right. After carefully rereading the pervious chapter, I realized, "Wow! They're right!" Truthfully, when I first wrote that chapter (which was what, a year ago?) I really didn't know Gambit's character very well, because I had just started collecting the comics and Gambit wasn't in any of them, so I just went what felt right. Which was actually wrong. And I probably _still_ haven't got his personality right, so just bear with me, mes amis. OK, you probably stopped reading this a long time ago, so I'll just quietly disappear into the background…

Gambit climbed down from the roof and headed inside to find Rogue, thinking hard about the decision he just made. How was he going to ask her? Was he going to take her out? Ask her here at the mansion? Was it going to be during the day? During the night? A picnic? A dinner? Throw a party if she says yes? Just tell the X-Men then start planning? All those questions buzzed around in Remy's mind. But one question suddenly stuck out from the rest of them. 

__

What happens if she says no?

That question nearly made him stop in his tracks in horror. No, that's not possible. She wouldn't say no. Would she? She loves him. Right? But a little voice in the back of his head said, _"'S possible, homme."_

Remy shook his head, trying to rid all thoughts of doubt and worry from his mind. First things first: ask Rogue out on a date and take it one step at a time.

He reached the room that he and Rogue shared. The door was slightly ajar, and he could hear the rustle of bags as she unpacked her purchases from her shopping. Truthfully, it took a little bit of time before he and Rogue decided to move their rooms together. Rogue was still slightly apprehensive about her new ability to control her powers, and Remy, well, he was never one to stick around with the same woman. But in the end, after about a week or two after the big decision, moving together seemed like the right thing to do after all.

Remy took a deep breath and pushed the door open the rest of the way, smiling his trademark smile. Rogue was pulling different articles of clothing out of Macy's and Nordstrom bags, lying them out on their bed. She heard the door swing open, looked up and grinned as her Cajun prince entered the room.

"Hey, sugah," she said, smiling that smile that set him at ease, momentarily forgetting all his worries.

"Hey, chere," he walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek, before looking down into the bags. "So, what did y'get?"

"Uh, nuthin' much, Remy, just a coupla o' shirts n' stuff…" she reached out to grab the bags, but Remy knocked her hand out of the way.

"Jus' a sec, chere, let Gambit see what y'got," he quickly snatched up the Macy's before Rogue could reply, and looked inside. "Now, lessee…" he reached into the bag and pulled out a turtleneck sweater, a long sleeved shirt, and finally, a pair of elbow length gloves. Remy frowned.

"Rogue, we've been t'rough dis," he said disapprovingly, placing the items on the bed. "I t'ought you didn' need dis kinda stuff no more."

Rogue sighed dejectedly and nodded her head. "Ah know, sugah, but it's just…" she shrugged. "Ah dunno, it's an ol' habit. Hard ta break."

Remy could tell by her voice that she didn't really believe her own words. "Non, it's not, chere. Dere's a different reason why you be buyin' dis stuff, isn' dere?"

Rogue bit her lip, a worried expression coming across her face. She rubbed her arm awkwardly and looked away from Remy's gaze.

"Chere, is dere somet'ing you ain't tellin' me?" Remy asked quietly.

Rogue sighed again and rubbed her eyes. "Ah'm just scared, Remy."

Remy's eyebrows raised a little in surprise. The mighty and fearless Rogue, _scared?_ "Scared o' what, Rogue?" he questioned, incredulous.

She shrugged, looking like she was at a loss for words. "That, Ah dunno…Ah might hurt ya one day. That Ah might lose control o' mah powers again and touch ya without knowin'…"

Remy stared at her in disbelief. "Why you be t'inkin' like dat, chere? You tol' me dat de Prof said you have complete control over y'powers an' you ain't never gonna lose it. Dat's true, right?"

Rogue looked at him for a long moment, then finally nodded her head. "Yeah, sugah," she answered. "Yeah, that's true."

Remy spread his hands wide in confusion. "Den what's de problem?" he demanded.

"Ah don't know!" Rogue cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "All's Ah know is, is that when we're together, bad stuff happens!"

"Chere, 'bad stuff' hasn' happened t'us fo' a while! You gotta relax! You gotta stop bein' so damn paranoid!" Remy snapped at her, before Rogue let out a huff of frustration and buried her face in her hands. Remy flinched at her reaction, immediately feeling guilty for his outburst. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her gently against his chest.

"I'm sorry, chere, but I hate seeing ya like dis," Remy said as Rogue slipped her arms around his body, returning the embrace, resting the side of her face against his torso. "When you get upset, I get upset." He kissed the top of her head, pulling her closer. "I don' want ya t' worry so much, k, chere? And if 'bad stuff' does happen, we'll work it out. I promise you dat."

Rogue nodded against him, and Remy took her face in his hand, turning her head up to look at him. He leaned down and dropped a soft kiss to her lips, before smiling wickedly at her.

"An' besides," he began, his voice a sultry whisper, "if you're still nervous about exposin' your skin, chere, den I guess you an' I need t' spend a lil' more time…outta our clothes." His hand traveled slowly down the side of her waist, toward a place he had been getting to know quite well the past few weeks.

"Remy!" she snapped, knocking his hand away. She glared at him, but Remy just flashed her his characteristic grin, and Rogue couldn't help but grin back.

She leaned up and kissed him, murmuring softly against his lips, "Swamp rat."

"River rat," he muttered back. Rogue pulled away then, smiling softly, turning her attention back to her purchases. 

Remy sat down on the edge of the bed, watching her as she laid her new clothes out on the sheets. He was a little relieved to see she had bought a few T-shrits and shorts, and even a tank top here and there. 

After a few moments, a tiny voice in the back of his head said hurriedly, _Now. Ask her out on the date now!_

Now?

__

Yeah! Go, c'mon! Go!

"Hey, chere, you busy dis Saturday?" he asked her, and Rogue looked up, a curious look on her face.

"No, why?"

"I was t'inkin', maybe we could go out an' get somthin' t'eat."

"Sure," she gathered up all her new clothes and carried them over to the chest of drawers. "That sounds nice, sugah."

Remy let out a tiny sigh of relief. _Phase one, completed_, he thought to himself. _Phase two, plannin' de date_.

Remy ran his hand through his hair. He would get to work tomorrow. He had a lot of stuff to do and only six days in which to do it…

To be continued…

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Author's note: I did it. I did it! I wrote another chapter! Ha ha! Woo! I did it! I can't believe I did it! *Starts laughing and jumping up and down like a schoolgirl* I DID IT! I don't care if this chapter is terrible, I don't care if Gambit is out of character, I don't care if you don't review it, but I did it! Yeah, baby! *And I dance out of the room, shouting "I DID IT!" over and over and over again.*


	3. Storms Can Be a Good Thing

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't know own nothing…

Author's note: Well, would you look at this! I wrote another chapter! It took a really long time, but not as long as the second chapter, am I right? Sorry about the wait, everyone. 

Well, anyway, just to let everyone know, I am planning to change my name from 'Blades' to 'AracTheDragon' in a few days and I just wanted everyone to know that.

And, so enjoy the chapter!

"Rogue," Remy said. He got down on one knee, and reached behind him to his back pocket. "Will you do me de honor of becomin' my wife?" He pulled out the small, velvet box, and held it up. He could already imagine the look on her face…her eyes wide with shock, her mouth hanging open, and then she would take the box from him and open it, gasping in surprise at the beautiful ring that rested in the minute silky pillow.

He looked up, expecting to meet her soft green eyes…and only saw his demonic red and black ones staring back at him in the mirror.

He frowned at his reflection, before glancing over at the digital clock that sat next to the bed that he shared with Rogue. It read 1:23 PM, which meant that he had been practicing proposing to the gorgeous Southerner in front of the mirror for the past hour and a half. And everything that had come out of his mouth during that time either sounded sickeningly corny, not romantic at all, or just…stupid.

"'Do me de honor of becomin' my wife?'" he repeated softly, his mirror-self copying him as he wrinkled up his nose in disgust. "De hell was dat, LeBeau? You tryin' to make Rogue t'row up?"

It had been two days since he asked Rogue on the big date, and he felt like he was going nuts. All these questions, all these worries, all this…stuff was just slamming up against the sides of his brain, making him feel like he was going crazy.

"Mebbe I shoul' tell someone 'bout dis," he grumbled to himself.

_No!_ A voice shouted in the back of his head. _No, you can't! Word will get out in a matter of minutes! Your cover will be blown! That's not a good thing!_

_But you're going nuts_, another voice yelled back. _You have to tell _someone _or you're going to be locked up in an insane asylum before Saturday even comes! You gotta do _something!

_No, you gotta do nothing!_ The first voice countered. _Besides, you're Gambit! You're the Ragin' Cajun! Master thief! You've done worse than this!_

_Oh yeah? When?_

There was silence. _Um_…

_All right, that settles it! You're going to tell the next person you see all about this! No ifs, ands, or buts about it, pal!_

Remy scowled and shook his head. Now there were voices in his mind telling him what to do. Maybe he _was_ going insane.

Without really thinking, he opened the small box again, and allowed the frown to disappear for the moment. He picked up the delicate ring between his thumb and forefinger and lifted it up to get a better look.

It was a beautiful ring, made of the finest gold filigree. Instead of the traditional diamond, there was a small heart shaped rock, made of the brightest red ruby he'd ever seen, and surrounding the rare jewel were minute emerald stones, as brilliant green as Rogue's eyes. 

His smile became rueful as he thought how much this ring cost him, when he could have easily sneaked into the jewelry store and stolen it without anyone ever knowing. But he quickly tossed that idea at the thought of what Rogue might do to him if she ever found out. On top of that, everything he wanted to do for Rogue, he planned to do it in the most honorable way possible. In other words, no more stealing. At least, no more stealing when it came to Rogue. He could steal a few things for himself every once in a while.

Truth of the matter was, he actually bought this ring a few years ago. He wanted to give it to Rogue as more of a promise ring, not so much an engagement ring. But then…there was that whole…trial thing…and then Antarctica…and he couldn't exactly find a good moment to give it to her. But that was all in the past now, he was _not_ going to focus on it anymore. Remy had much more important things to pay attention to at the moment.

"OK, LeBeau, loosen up," he muttered to himself, as he shook his arms and legs, releasing some of the tension in his body. He took a deep breath and concentrated on his reflection again, struggling to come up with yet another way to propose to Rogue. 

Then there was a sudden knock on the door.

Remy jumped and spun around to face the door, his eyes widening. He froze at the sound, wondering who could possibly be knocking…he sincerely hoped that Rogue hadn't returned from her training session in the Danger Room.

"Remy?" Ororo's soft voice was muffled by the door. "My friend, are you in there?"

"Uh…" Remy began, then he finally realized he was still holding the ring in his hand. Merde, he needed to hide it! "Jus' a minute, 'Roro!" He turned around quickly and snatched the velvet box off his bureau, stuffing the ring inside it, then snapping it close.

Ororo knocked again. "I need talk to you, Remy, it won't take too long!"

"Jus' gimmie one sec!" Remy looked frantically around the room, wondering where he could hide the ring. His eyes came to rest on his bed, and he sprung across the room and jumped onto the mattress, shoving the piece of jewelry under his pillow just as he heard Ororo open the door.

"Remy, I just wished to ask if you can give me back the Nat Kind Cole CD that I lent to you," she said as she stepped into the room, but she stopped when she noticed Remy lying stomach down on the bed, his hand under a pillow.

Remy looked over his shoulder and gave Ororo a smile. "Hey, 'Ro," he said, rolling over onto his back. "How's it goin', padnat?"

"Fine," she answered, before she raised a curious eyebrow at him. "Am I interrupting something?"

"What? Non!" he answered, a little quicker than he would have liked to. _Stay cool, LeBeau, else 'Roro might suspect somet'ing. _"Why?"

"Because it appears that I did."

"Well, ya didn'."

"Oh," she regarded Remy with the same avid look, before saying, "Well, Remy, I just stopped by to ask you for my Nat King Cole CD back."

"Right," he said, pointing at the desk behind her, "it be right on dat table over dere."

"Oh, wonderful," Storm headed to the desk and picked up the CD, before turning and heading back towards the door. Remy sat up, hoping that she was going to leave so he could get back to practicing, but then Ororo stopped and turned around.

"Forgive me, Remy," she began, but then paused, looking as if she didn't know how to say what she wanted to say next. "But…I have been in your presence for over five minutes, and you have not once called me, 'Stormy.'"

Remy smirked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Do ya _want_ me t' call you 'Stormy'?"

"Good Goddess, no!" Remy laughed at her reaction, feeling some the tension in his body melt away. Ororo had to be Remy's best friend, and being with her was always soothing. Remy always did think that Storm was the sister he never had.

"Den what's de problem?" Remy asked her, and Storm sighed.

"Well, Remy," Ororo stopped, then sat down at the edge of his bed, and Remy scooted up closer to her, "I have been worried about you for the past two days."

"Pourquoi?" he said, confused.

"You have not been acting like yourself. It seems like…you are hiding something."

_Aw, merde, is it dat noticeable?_ Remy groaned in his mind, but said nothing. He flashed Ororo his usual charming grin, hoping she would stop worrying about him. "Well, don' worry, chere, I ain't got nuthin' important to hide."

"Are you sure, my friend?"

"Oui, 'Roro, I'm fine."

"All right," she reached out and took Remy's hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. "But if you ever need to talk, you know I am always here for you."

"Yeah, I know, padnat."

Storm smiled, then stood up to leave, heading towards the door.

Remy moved to get to his feet as well, when suddenly those last few words seemed to hit him like a ton of bricks.

Gambit couldn't even begin to count how many times Storm told him that she would be there to listen, and he always kind of just brushed it off, not really believing that it would mean something. But that last sentence triggered something in his head, and his mind suddenly went into overdrive.

_'If you ever need to talk' – you need to talk now!_

Damn, one of those crazy voices was back…

_Ororo wouldn't tell anyone, would she? You could tell her about your whole plan, talk to her, get all that crazy stuff off your chest and she would listen and give advice and she wouldn't tell anyone! She can keep a secret! She's kept plenty of secrets! You could tell her – you could tell her –_

"IwannaaskRoguet'marryme!"

The words tumbled out of his mouth so fast that it took him a moment to realize that he said it. But Ororo heard him. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned slowly around, staring at Remy with a look of shocked confusion on her face.

"I'm sorry, Remy, I must have misheard you," she said slowly. "What did you say?"

_Tell her!_

Non, I can' –!

_Stop being such a friggin' idiot and just tell her!_

"I," Remy sighed, then shrugged his shoulders, "I wanna ask Rogue t'marry me."

Ororo stared at him with wide eyes, looking absolutely shocked. "Why?"

Remy looked at her, startled. "'Why?'" he repeated. "What de hell is dat supposed t' mean?"

Ororo blinked, then shook her head as if trying to clear it. "I'm sorry, Remy, I did not mean it like that," she crossed the room and sat down on his bed, looking at Remy like he just grew another head. "It's just…it's not like you –"

"Not like me?" Remy said, sitting down next to Ororo. "I've been married once b'fore, y'know!"

"I know that, Remy! But, well, that marriage did not go over too well –"

"Are y' sayin' dat what happened t'me an' Belle is gonna happen t'me an' Rogue?"

"No!" Ororo exclaimed. "Goddess, no, Remy! It's –" Ororo continued to stare at Remy, that stunned look still on her face. "I do not even know what to say! This is such shocking news – when do you plan to do this?"

"Saturday."

"Saturday?"

"Oui, dis Saturday."

"This upcoming Saturday?"

"Is dere an echo in here? Yeah, dis upcomin' Saturday, 'Roro."

It didn't seem possible for Ororo to look more stunned, but somehow she managed it. "Are you certain about this, my friend?" she asked. "Do you have a ring?"

"Yup. Wanna see it?"

Before Ororo could reply, Remy leaned back and slipped his hand under the pillow, pulling out the small box and sitting back up, facing Ororo. He carefully opened the box, and Ororo's hands flew over her mouth as she caught sight of the small piece of jewelry. Remy watched her with some amusement as Ororo stared at the ring with wide eyes for a few quiet moments.

"Oh, Goddess, Remy," she breathed, before she reached out with one hand and took the box from him, bringing the ring closer to her for a better look, before she turned her attention back to Remy. "You are serious?"

Remy nodded, a small grin forming on the corner of his lips.

Finally, Ororo's mouth slowly creased into a smile, and she suddenly threw her arms around his neck, catching Remy off guard. "Oh, Remy, I'm so happy for you!" she cried excitedly, before pulling away and taking his hand in hers, squeezing it gently.

"T'anks, 'Ro," he replied, his smile nowhere near as big as the one on Ororo's face. "But y'can' tell no one, OK?"

"Oh, no, Remy! I wouldn't dream of doing something like that!" she replied.

"Promise?"

"Of course!"

"Good," Remy's smile became a little sheepish, and he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, his other still grasped in Ororo's. Ororo recognized that look, and she asked playfully, "Are you nervous, Remy?"

"Non."

Ororo gave him a look that clearly said, "I know you're lying."

"OK, mebbe I am, a li'l."

Ororo continued to stare at his skeptically, not saying a word, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"All right, fine!" Remy said. "I be scared outta my frickin' mind, ya happy now?"

Ororo laughed. "I would not worry, Remy. I'm sure everything is going to be fine."

Remy cocked an eyebrow at her. "Ya really t'ink so, Stormy?"

"I know so, Remy. Trust me," Ororo replied, giving Remy a warm smile. "And do not call me that," she added.

"Call you what?" Remy asked innocently, an impish sparkle in his eye.

"That infernal nickname!"

"Ah, c'mon, Stormy, y'know ya like it!" Remy teased, poking Ororo in the side, causing her to jump.

"You are hopeless, my friend," Ororo laughed, playfully shoving him.

"Ah, Stormy, y' break dis Cajun's heart," Remy said sadly, placing one hand over his chest, which caused Ororo to laugh that much harder, drawing a grin from Remy. Ororo took a glance at the clock and let out a soft gasp.

"Oh, Goddess, it's almost two!" she exclaimed. "I have to go find Logan."

"Why?"

"He and I were going into town to see a movie." She paused. "Would you like to come, Remy?"

Remy shook his head. "No, t'anks, 'Roro, I t'ink I'll stay here, work on my proposin' to Rogue."

Ororo beamed at him, before leaning over and planting a light kiss on his cheek. "We'll talk later, all right, Remy?"

Remy nodded, then Ororo stood up and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

The moment she left, Remy flopped back on his bed with a loud sigh. _Well_, he thought wearily, _best get back t' work_. He hauled himself off the mattress with a groan, then stepped in front of the mirror, once again trying to think up another way to ask Rogue to marry him.

****

Ororo gently shut the door behind her, and it was all it took for her not to start jumping up and down excitedly. Remy was getting married! He was getting married! Well, he wasn't getting married _yet_, but just as soon as Rogue said yes, which Ororo was positive she would, Remy was _going_ to be getting married very, very soon. Ororo was so thrilled she just wanted to run through the mansion and tell everyone she could find, but she promised Remy that she would keep it a secret. And a promise was a promise, so she would have to keep her mouth shut.

"Hey, 'Ro!"

Logan's call snapped Ororo out of her thoughts, and she turned to see him standing at the end of the hallway, his arms folded across his chest, not looking too happy at the moment.

"C'mon, 'Ro, we're gonna miss the movie if we don't leave now!" he said.

"Coming, Logan!" she hurried down the hall, a huge smile still on her face, and Logan cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What're ya so happy 'bout, 'Ro?" Logan asked, as they walked down the corridor together.

"Oh," she began, waving her hand dismissively, "it's nothing."

Logan shrugged. "If ya say so."

Ororo took a quick glance behind her at Remy's door, the smile on her face widening even more, as she and Logan headed towards the garage.

To be continued…(I hope I hope I hope!) 

**Author's note:** So is this chapter OK? Truth be told, I think this is some of the worst stuff I've ever written, and I think that Storm is a little out of character, but I felt like this chapter _had_ to be written, you know what I mean? Anyway, if you want me to write more, not only do reviews help (hint hint, nudge nudge, wink, wink) but good Rogue and Gambit fanfics or comic books help, too. That means, if you know a good story or X-Men issue about Rogue and Gambit, **TELL ME!** It'll inspire me to write more.

Oh! And I almost forgot. To answer Jalla's question, the New Couple I'm into now is actually Storm/Wolverine. So you'll probably see them interacting every now and then in this story. :-) And, yes, I have heard of X-Men: Evolution, but I gotta be honest, I am not too thrilled with that cartoon…

So, see y'all later… 


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